Cigar making machine



July 22, 1969 B0 ANDERS SANDQVIST 3,

CIGAR MAKING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 21, 1967 July 22, 1969 B0 ANDERS SANDQVIST 3,456,653

CIGAR MAKING I MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 21, 1967 July 22, 1969 B0 ANDERS SANDQVIST 3,456,653

CIGAR MAKING'MACHiNE Filed July 21, 1967 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 United States Patent US. Cl. 131-32 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A cigar making machine having a number of cutting dies arranged close together so as to allow a number of cigar wrappers to be cut simultaneously from a single tobacco leaf portion placed on the dies. The dies have vertical movement through a cutting bed opening in the machine, and move from a first position above the cutting bed to a second position therebeneath. The cut wrappers are held on the dies by suction. Means are provided to further move the dies sideways to a third position away from the bed. The wrappers so cut out are simultaneously removed from the dies at the third position by suction transfer arms, and moved to a like number of wrapping apparatuses to be simultaneously Wrapped about cigar bunches fed to these apparatuses from, for instance, a bunch making device.

The invention relates to cigar making machines and more especially to such a machine comprising cutting die means for cutting wrappers from tobacco leaf portions placed thereon, wrapping means for winding said wrappers around cigar bunches fed to said wrapping means and transfer means for transferring the cut out wrappers from the cutting die means to the wrapping means.

The modern cigar making machines are of the integrated type, i.e. they comprise a bunch making section which is arranged before a wrapper applying section so that the cigars are completely machine-made in a single continuous opertaion with, however, the exception that the tobacco leaves, from which the wrappers for the cigars are cut, have to be placed by hand on the wrapper cutting die. Since the tobacco leaves, or rather the halves thereof, must be placed one by one accurately on the cutting die in the correct position, this opertaion is relatively time consuming and the production of the machine is in fact determined by the speed, with which the operator can carry out this hand operation. Should this limitation not exist, it would be possible to obtain a considerably higher production With the modern cigar making machines.

Generally it is possible and required to cut out two or more wrappers from a single half portion of a tobacco leaf, depending on the size and the type of the cigar and on the size of the tobacco leaf used. Thus, the operator will generally place each half portion of the tobacco leaf at least twice in succession on the cutting die, in which the first wrapper should of course be cut out in such a way that a sufficient area of the leaf remains for cutting out the second wrapper. This operation requires a great skill, especially if the tobacco leaf provides but little oversize.

It has been suggested to provide cigar making machines of the above-mentioned type with two separate spaced apart cutting dies and two transfer means, one associated with each of said dies for simultaneously transferring two wrappers cut out by said two dies to two wrapping apparatuses arranged side by side which have cigar bunches fed thereto from a common bunch making section. However, in this way merely a multiplication of a 3,456,653 Patented July 22, 1969 'ice single die machine is obtained and two operators are required to feed tobacco leaf portions to the two wrapper cutting dies.

The invention has for its main object to provide a cigar making machine of the kind described which reduces the amount of manual labor and skill required for placing the tobacco leaf portions on the cutting die means and which thereby makes it possible to obtain a substantial increase of the production of the machine.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a cigar making machine having novel cutting die means and wrapper transfer means co-operating therewith allowing a plurality of wrappers to be cut out simultaneously from a single tobacco leaf portion and the simultaneous transfer of these Wrappers to a plurality of wrapping apparatuses.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a novel method of making cigars.

According to a main feature of the invention, the cutting die means comprise two or more cutting dies arranged closely adjacent one another so as to allow a plurality of wrappers to be cut from a single tobacco leaf portion placed on the die means, each one of said cutting dies having its own transfer means and wrapping apparatus associated therewith, which plurality of transfer means and wrapping apparatuses, respectively, are adapted for simultneous operation.

The operator thus has to place each tobacco leaf portion only once on the cutting die means as compared with at least two times in the conventional machines. Furthermore, he need not take care that the wrappers to be cut from one and the same tobacco leaf portion are cut out in exactly the right position with respect to each other. Thereby it is also ensured that each tobacco leaf is used in the most efficient manner. Since, as said before, the modern bunch making mechanisms, forming part of an integrated cigar making machine, as such are easily capable of operating at a multiple of the normal production of the wrpper applying apparatuses, the machine according to the invention thus makes it possible to obtain substantially double the production of the conventional machines.

Further objects and novel features of the invention will appear from the following description and claims in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate an embodiment of the cigar making machine according to the invention.

FIGURE 1 shows schematically a plan 'view of the cigar making machine;

FIGURE 2 shows, on an enlarged scale, a plan view of the wrapper cutting bed with two wrapper cutting dies and associated parts of the machine of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line III-III of FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 4 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line IV-IV of FIGURE 2.

Those parts of the machine of FIGURE 1 which are of conventional construction will only be described in further detail as far as is necessary for a proper understanding of the invention.

Referring to FIGURE 1, there is shown a cigar making machine comprising a cigar bunch making apparatus generally indicated by 1, a wrapper applying and rolling apparatus generally indicated by 2, and a wrapper cutting apparatus generally indicated by 3 for cutting wrappers from a tobacco leaf portion and transferring these wrappers to the apparatus 2 to be wrapped about cigar bunches fed to the apparatus 2 from the bunch making apparatus 1.

The apparatuses 1 and 2 are both of known construction and are, therefore, only shown as far as is necessary for a proper understanding of the invention.

Thus'the bunch making apparatus 1 may be of the type as disclosed by US. Patent No. 3,036,580. As shown and described in detail in this patent the apparatus -1 comprises a conventional bunch rolling table 4 co-operating in a known manner with a rolling apron and bunch roller (not shown) for winding filler tobacco into binders so as to produce cigar bunches such as 5. From the rolling table the bunches are delivered to a bunch transfer device schematically indicated by 6 which conveys the bunches one by one to successive press moulds 7 of a first press drum 8 which is rotated in the direction of the arrow in step with the reciprocating movements of the bunch transfer device 6, whereby the moulds 7 at the periphery of the drum successively receive a bunch 5. The drum 8 cooperates with a die member 9 mounted for reciprocating movement towards and away from the drum 8 for successively compressing and shaping the bunches in the respective moulds 7. During the rotation of the drum 8 the bunches are also dried.

The press drum 8 is rotatably mounted in a frame 10 together with a further press drum 11 of a type and in a manner as disclosed more in detail in the U.S. Patent No. 2,427,854. The press drum 11 thus comprises two drum halves separated by an interspace 12 into which projects a knife 13. The two drums 8 and 11 are driven in opposite directions through gear means 14 and 15 and a common drive shaft 16. The drum 11 has the same number of press moulds 17 at its periphery and has the same diameter as the drum 8, means (not shown) being provided inside the drum 8 for transferring the bunches 5 from the moulds 7 of this drum to the moulds 17 of the drum 11 in a known manner, this transfer taking place at the location, where the peripheries of the two drums, as shown, almost meet. In the moulds 17 of the drum 11 the cigar bunches may be further compressed and dried. The moulds 17 are intersected by the interspace 12 and, at the rotation of the press drums, the knife 13 thus divides each bunch 5 into two halves, thereby forming two separate cigar bunches 5a and 5b each of half the length of the bunch 5.

The wrapper applying and rolling apparatus 2 co-operating with the press drum 11 may be of the type as shown and described in the above-mentioned US. Patent No. 2,427,854. As disclosed more in detail in this patent, the apparatus 2 comprises two wrapping devices 18 and 19 of conventional design each comprising a group of rollers mounted in a frame 22 and arranged one beside the other. The bunches 5a are conveyed to the wrapping device 19 by means of a rocker am 20 which is fixedly secured to a horizontal shaft 21 journaled in the frame 22 of the device. At its free end the rocker arm 20 carries a resilient pincher 23 of conventional design which is rotatably mounted in the arm and is held in a horizontal position in each position of the arm 20 by means of a rod 24 which co-operates with the rocker arm 20 in the manner of a parallel movement mechanism. The arrangement is such that by a rocking movement of the arm 20 from its shown position the pincher 23 can be moved opposite one half of the uppermost mould 17 of the drum 11, grip a bunch 5a in this mould and transfer this bunch to the wrapping device 19 on the subsequent return movement of the arm 20.

A second arm 25 carrying at its end a similar pincher 26 is fixedly mounted on a shaft 27 arranged between the two wrapping devices 18 and 19 for reciprocating swinging movement in a horizontal plane between the position shown in dotted lines, in which the pincher 26 lies above the other half of the uppermost mould 17 of the drum 11 and may grip a bunch 5b in this mould, and the position shown in full lines, in which the pincher may deliver the gripped bunch to the wrapping device 18. The arm 25 is driven by means of a toothed rack 28 meshing with a toothed wheel 29 on the shaft 27. The two arms 20 and 25 are driven by substantially simultaneous movement in synchronism with the stepwise movement of the drum 11, whereby the bunches 5a and 5b in the two halves of the same mould 17 are simultaneously transferred to the two wrapping devices 18 and 19, the arm 20 being so formed that it does not interfere with the movements of the arm 25.

Instead of the split second drum 11 with cutting knife 13, it is also possible to use a second drum similar to' the first drum '8 and to add a third press drum adjacent the second drum which is again intermittently rotated in the same direction and with the same speed as the first two drums. Alternate cigar bunches may be transferred by suitable means from the second drum to the third drum in such a way that the bunches originally fed to the first drum 8 are equally distributed over the second and third drum. The two bunch transfer arms 20 and 25 are in that case so arranged that they pick up cigar bunches from the second and third press drum, respectively. In this way cigars can be made having a rounded or conical shape at both ends.

Mounted on the two frames 22 are two wrapper carriers 30 and 31, respectively, each co-operating with one of the two wrapping devices 18 and 19, respectively. As disclosed in the said US. Patent No. 2,427,854, each wrapper carrier comprises an articulated swinging arm 32 mounted for swinging movement on a vertical shaft 33 and carrying at its free end a suction head 34. By suitable driving means (not shown), the two swinging arms 32 may be moved from the positions as shown in FIGURE 1, in which, in a manner yet to be described, a wrapper may be fed to each of the two suction heads 34, to positions in which the suction heads 34 feed these wrappers to the wrapping devices 18 and 19, respectively, after which the suction heads are returned to their initial positions. The respective driving means for the two bunch conveyor arms 20 and 25, the wrapping devices 18 and 19, and the wrapper carriers 30 and 31 are so controlled that each time the bunch conveyor arms have simultaneously conveyed two bunches 5a and 5b to the two wrapping devices 19 and 18, respectively, the rollers of these devices are set in motion and the two wrapper carriers 31 and 30, respectively, simultaneously move to each feed a wrapper to its associated wrapping device which wraps this wrapper about the bunch placed therein. By conventional means, not shown, the cigars so obtained are removed from the wrapping devices, whereupon the latter are ready to receive the next bunch. After removal of the cigars from the wrapping devices they may be passed to a cutting and forming means of known design for properly shaping the rounded or conical end of the cigars. If desired, it is further possible that the swinging arms 32 in their movement towards the wrapping devices each pass a glueing station (not shown) of conventional design for applying glue to desired spots of the wrappers, for instance the mouth tip thereof. According to the invention and as schematically shown in FIGURE 1, by means of the wrapper cutting apparatus 3 two wrappers, such as 35 and 36, are simultaneously cut from a single half portion of a tobacco leaf, the position of which is indicated by the dotted line 37, which two wrappers are simultaneously transferred by means of two swinging transfer arms 38 and 38', respectively, to the two suction heads 34.

- Referring to FIGURES 2, 3 and 4, the wrapper cutting apparatus 3 is seen to comprise a cutting bed 39 having an opening 40 therein adapted to receive two substantially identical cutting dies 41 in a position one directly adjacent the other. In FIGURE 2 only one cutting die 41 is shown, but it is to be understood that normally the part of the opening 40 not occupied by the shown cutting die is occupied by the second cutting die. Since both cutting. dies are identical and since also the means for transferring the wrappers, cut out by each die, to the respective suction heads 34 are similar, only one die 41 and its associated transfer means will now be described.

As shown, this cutting die 41 comprises a circumferential upwardly projecting cutting knife 42 in the shape of the wrapper to be cut out. The die 41 is pivotally mounted on the transfer arm 38 by means of a circular flange 43 secured to the lower side of the die and fitting in a circular recess 44 in the arm 38. The die 41 is fixedly secured to a downwardly extending shaft 45 which is rotatably mounted in a suitable bearing of the arm 38. The lower end of the shaft 45 projects below the arm 38 and has one end of a link member 46 fixedly secured thereto. The opposite end of the link member 46 is pivotally connected to an arm 47 by means of a pin 48. At its opposite end the arm 47 is pivotally mounted on a plate 49 by means of a pin 50 projecting upwardly from this plate and a spacer sleeve 51 about this pin.

The transfer arm 38 is fixedly secured to a vertical shaft 52 which is rotatably mounted in two sleeves 53 and 54 attached to the frame of the apparatus partly shown at 55. The shaft 52 is axially slidable in these sleeves and is supported at its lower end by a coil spring 56 secured to the frame 55 by means of a mounting pin 57.

The upper end of the shaft 52 passes through a bore 58 (FIGURE 2) provided in the plate 49 spaced from the pin 50. The plate 49 is thus rotatable on the shaft 52 above the hub portion 59 of the arm 38 securing this arm to the shaft 52. The plate 49 is supported by an L-shaped support arm 60 having a vertical leg extending downwardly from the plate 49 and mounted for vertical sliding movement in a suitably formed part of the frame 55, and having a horizontally extending leg terminating in a sleeve portion 61. The sleeve portion 61 of the support arm 60 is rotatably, but axially non-slidably mounted on the shaft 52 between a shoulder 62 on this shaft and a locking washer 63 engaging in a groove of the shaft.

An operating arm 64 is fixedly secured to the shaft 52 which arm may be coupled to proper drive means (not shown) for imparting a reciprocating rotational movement to the shaft 52 and thereby a reciprocating swinging movement to the transfer arm 38.

In order to allow such swinging movement of the transfer arm 38 from its full-line position to its dotted-line position of FIGURE 2, the arm 38 must be lowered so as to disengage the cutting die 41 from the opening 40 in the cutting bed 39. For that purpose, a second operating arm 65 is provided which by means not shown is mounted for vertical sliding movement in the frame of the apparatus and which carries a setting screw 66 at its free end adapted to engage the upper surface of the plate 49 for depressing this plate, and thereby the shaft 52 and the transfer arm 38, against the action of the coil spring 56. By suitable operating means (not shown) the arm 65 is caused to move downwardly to disengage the cutting die 41 from the cutting bed 39 just before the operating arm 64 is actuated. Similarly, the arm 65 is moved upwardly again, when the arm 38 has been swung back to its initial position so as to allow the shaft 52 to be raised by the coil spring 56, thereby returning the cutting die 41 into its seat in the cutting bed 39.

The distance between the axes of the pin 50 on the plate 49 and the shaft 52 is equal to the effective length of the link member 46, and the length of the transfer arm 38 is equal to the length of the arm 47, whereby a so-called parallel movement mechanism is formed for the cutting die 41, this die being displaced parallel to itself in a horizontal plane on the reciprocal swinging movement of the transfer arm 38.

The cutting die 41 and the cutting bed 39 are provided with the usual suction holes 67 and 68, respectively, for holding a tobacco leaf portion placed on the bed and the wrappers cut therefrom. The suction holes 67 communicate with a suction chamber 69 provided in the cutting die, which suction chamber in its turn communicates through a suction passage 70 in the arm 38 and a suction passage 71 in the arm hub portion 59 with a suction passage 72 provided in a sleeve member 73 which is secured to the sleeve 53 and slidingly engages in the lower part of the hub portion 59. The passage 72 leads to an opening 74 in the sleeve 53, which opening may be connected in a conventional way to a suitable suction pump through proper valve means (not shown). The suction holes 68 in the cutting bed 39 communicate with a suction chamber 75 provided in the cutting bed 39 and closed off on its bottom side by a removable plate 76 having a cut-out portion corresponding to the opening 40 in the cutting bed 39 for the passage of the two cutting dies. The suction chamber 75 circumferentially surrounds the opening 40 in the cutting bed and communicates with an opening 77 for connection :of the suction chamber 75 through proper valve means to the suction pump (not shown).

The operation of the wrapper cutting apparatus 3 will be clear from the foregoing description thereof. In the initial position of the two cutting dies 41 (only one being shown) the cutting knives 42 thereof project slightly above the upper surface of the cutting bed 39. A half portion of a tobacco leaf may be placed by the operator over the two cutting dies in the position as indicated by 37 in FIG- URE l which leaf portion is held in place by the suction provided by the suction holes 67 and 68. A number of conventional cutting rollers (not shown) is then moved in the usual way across the cutting bed 39, whereby these rollers in co-operation with the cutting knives 42 cut out the two wrappers 35 and 36 from the tobacco leaf portion. Next, the two cutting dies with the Wrappers held thereon by suction are lowered out of engagement with the cutting bed 39 by the simultaneous actuation of the two respective operating arms 65, whereupon the two respective operating arms 64 are simultaneously actuated to swing the transfer arms 38 and 38' to positions in which the two dies are situated exactly underneath the two suction heads 34 of the wrapper carriers 30 and 31, respectively. The two wrappers are taken over by the suction heads 34 in a conventional manner by shutting off the vacuum in the suction holes 67 of the dies. While the transfer arms 38 and 38' swing back to their initial positions, the two wrappers are transferred by the wrapper carriers 30 and 31 to the wrapping devices 18 and 19, respectively, in the manner as above described. If desired, the transfer arm 38 and 38' on reaching their outwardly swung positions may be raised slightly by proper operation of the operating arms 65 so as to bring the wrappers on the cutting dies in proper engagement with the suction heads 34 on the swinging arms 32.

While the invention has been described with reference to an embodiment thereof as shown in the drawing, it will be understood that other embodiments may be resorted to without departing from the invention. Thus, in the case of small cigars, it may be possible to provide the cutting bed 39 with more than two cutting dies and to transfer the wrappers cut out thereby from a single tobacco leaf portion to an equal number of rolling devices. In that case, the bunch making apparatus should, of course, comprise a corresponding number of bunch rolling devices with associated bunch transfer means and press drums. Also, the cutting dies need not have the same shape and size, but may be adapted for cutting out wrappers for making cigars of different types and sizes.

What is claimed is:

1. A cigar making machine, comprising at least one wrapper cutting die means including a plurality of separate cutting dies arranged for cutting out a plurality of Wrappers from a single tobacco leaf portion placed on the die means, a plurality of wrapping apparatuses one associated with each one of said cutting dies, respectively, means for simultaneously feeding cigar bunches to each one of said respective wrapping apparatuses, and a plurality of wrapper transfer devices, one co-operating with each one of said cutting dies and wrapping apparatus associated therewith for successively transferring wrappers cut by said die to said associated wrapping apparatus to be wound around a cigar bunch fed to said apparatus, said plurality of transfer devices and wrapping apparatuses, respectively, being adapted to operate substantially simultaneously, said wrapper cutting die means comprising a cutting bed having an opening therein, said cutting dies each having vertical movement into an out of saidopening between a first operating position inside said opening and projecting above said cutting bed and a second position underneath said cutting bed, said wrapper transfer devices each comprising first transfer means for moving its associated cutting die from said first to said second position and thereafter moving said die sideways from said second position to a third position away from said cutting bed, and second transfer means for taking over the Wrappers carried by said die in said third position of the latter and transferring said wrappers to the associated wrapping apparatus.

2. The cigar making machine of claim 1 in which said first transfer means comprises a substantially vertical shaft, an arm carrying'said die and having vertical sliding movement and horizontal swinging movement, said arm being mounted on' said shaft, first operating means controlling the vertical sliding movement of said die carrying arm and second operating means controlling the swinging movement of said arm.

3. The cigar making machine of claim 1 in which said first transfer means comprises a substantially vertical shaft, an arm carrying said die and fixedly secured to said shaft, said shaft being rotatably and axially slidably mounted and carrying a laterally projecting member, said first operating means comprising a vertically movable operating member acting on said shaft member, spring means acting on said shaft so as to press said shaft upwardly and keep said shaft in abutment with said operating member, said second operating means acting on said shaft so as to rotate the latter between two predetermined angular positions. I

4. The cigar making machine of claim 3 in which said cutting die is rotatably mounted on said die carrying arm, means being provided coupled to said die forming a parallel movement mechanism for said die whereby said die is displaced parallel to itself on a swinging movement of said arm.

5. The cigar making machine of claim 1 in which each of said cutting dies has a first suction chamber and a plurality of suction holes opening in the upper die surface and communicating with said chamber, air channel means being provided allowing said suction chamber to be connected with a source of low air pressure.

6. The cigar making machine of claim 1 in which said cutting bed has a second suction chamber and a plurality of suction holes opening in the upper surface of the cutting bed and communicating with said second suction cham-. her, said cutting bed suction holes being arranged about said suction bed opening, air channel means being provided allowing said second suction chamber to be connected with a source of low air pressure.

7. The cigar making machine of claim 1 in which said second transfer means comprises a wrapper carrying arm member mounted at one end for swinging movement in a substantially horizontal plane, a suction head carried by said arm member, and third operating means for swinging said arm member from a position in which said suction head overlies the cutting die associated therewith in the said third position thereof to a position for feeding a wrapper held by said suction head to the wrapping apparatus associated therewith.

8. A cigar making machine as claimed in claim 1 including a cigar bunch making section, said cigar bunch feeding means being operative to simultaneously feed cigar bunches from said cigar bunch making section to each one of said respective wrapping apparatuses, said cigar bunch making section comprising bunch rolling means, a first press drum for receiving rolled cigar bunches, bunch transfer means for feeding cigar bunches from said bunch rolling means to said first press drum, 9. second press drum arranged closely adjacent said first press drum, means for stepwise rotating said two press drums, means for transferring said bunches from said first to said second press drum, said second press drum having a circumferential groove dividing the peripheral drum surface into two parts, and a cutting member engaging in said groove so as to cut the cigar bunches received in said second press drum into two parts upon rotation of the drum, said cigar bunch feeding means being adapted to take substantially simultaneously said two parts of a cigar bunch from said second press drum and feed said two bunch parts to said respective wrapping apparatuses.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,427,854 9/ 1947 Granstedt 131-82 2,956,567 10/1960 Wheeler 131-32 X 3,036,580 5/ 1962 Skarstrom 131--32 X 3,176,558 4/1965 Gustavson 83100 3,261,363 7/1966 Pallach et al. 131-46 X FOREIGN PATENTS 1,003,729 9/ 1965 Great Britain.

ALDRICH F. MEDBERY, Primary Examiner JAMES H. CZERWONKY, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 

